8.1.16

ASN Morning Read: A Goal for Jozy Altidore

The United State men's national team forward finally gets off the Major League Soccer schneid in 2016, finding the back of the net for Toronto FC; Julian Green does him two better; Charlie Davies features.

Smart tactical breakdown of how the United States women's national team has improved: "The positioning and movement of the U.S.' outside backs gives the team more flexibility and shows a clear plan. We’ve seen a couple different styles from the outside backs, depending on the opponents. Ellis has clearly discussed the options with them and provided different choices to deal with different challenges. Above, you can see the right back, Kelley O’Hara, make a counter movement from outside to inside. She recognizes she’s gone too wide, and there is already an option to her right, so she comes back to a more central area to receive the ball. It’s a clear recognition-and-response action that the team has discussed. But let's back up a step. Why do the outside backs matter so much? Of all the positions on the field, aren’t the outside backs supposed to be the least important players?"

Good pros/cons about Brad Guzan to Middlesbrough: "Staying in the Premier League is a plus, but Guzan will have a constant fight on his hands for playing time. Victor Valdes, a Champions League, World Cup and European Championship winner with Barcelona and Spain, also joined Boro this summer, and he'll be playing for countryman Aitor Karanka. It's expected that Valdes is the incumbent, even though he has hardly played over the last two seasons. And it's not just Valdes with whom Guzan will have to battle. 37-year-old Greek veteran Dimi Konstantopoulous, who helped steer Boro to the Premier League as the starter last season, remains with the club (for now), as does 27-year-old backup and Real Madrid product Tomas Mejias. This is a club with options at goalkeeper, not one looking to plug a hole with its latest signing."